This historical society, located on Portland's South Park Blocks, isn't just a bunch of old books gathering dust. This is the state history museum, and if it closes its doors the entire collection of Oregon's films, photos, trail diaries, propaganda posters and maps will become inaccessible to the public. "They even have the penny!" exclaims Liz Kaufman, a political consultant who is working on the new levy campaign. "You know how Lovejoy and Pettygrove flipped a penny to decide Portland's name? They have the penny!"
But why should county taxpayers shoulder the financial burden for running the STATE historical museum? Because the state has fallen through on keeping the museum and library afloat. Oregon's legislature paid about a third of the operating cost of the museum all the way from 1899 through 2003. Then from 2003-2007, the state gave the museum zero dollars. Though the state tossed $1.7 million to the society since 2007, the museum and library have been running almost entirely on its own cash reserves. They'll run out of cash in spring of next year. "We are dead last out of all 50 states for how much the state gives to its historical society and library," says Kaufman.
More on the finances of the state history museum—and the museum's chances at the ballot—below the cut.